With the release of ‘Spectre’, the latest James Bond movie, some of us die-hard fans just had to celebrate it in style! So, I’ve just had a fun-packed Saturday evening along with several hundred others, at the Spectrecom Films (Now known as Kennington Film Studios) James Bond party where they had a casino, an excellent tribute band and even an opportunity for all the James Bond ‘wannabes’ to be filmed in one of the studios performing the open Bond sequence (the bit where a silhouetted Bond walks, then turns and fires his Walther PPK (or a plastic replica in this instance!))
A great time was had by all; evidenced by the fact that the partying was still going on until after 3.00am – needless to say, 1.00am was quite late enough for me!
So what’s the point of all this I hear you ask? Well, Kennington Film Studios created our home page website video and recently I asked Andrew Greener (MD at Kennington Film Studios) what he thought about the future of video in a marketing context.
He kindly wrote the following article for us:
Video marketing is here to stay!
Online marketing ~
Research shows that in the next year, professional services firms are likely to focus on an average of 6 different marketing initiatives. According to Hinge Research the leading contenders will be as follows:
- 62% Generating more referrals
- 58% Increasing brand visibility
- 55% Updating or upgrading their firms’ websites
- 54% Increasing the visibility of their firms’ experts
With 72% of the surveyed firms saying that attracting and developing new business is the number one challenge facing them today, it’s easy to see why generating referrals is top of the list. But content marketing has a part to play in all of these initiatives, so getting it right is more important than ever.
When it comes to online marketing, the professional services sector as a whole is waking up to the fact that audiences prefer to be fed useful, relevant insights, rather than direct, interruptive sales messages. Marketeers understand that this content needs to add value for their audience, keeping them engaged with useful, relevant information. It can help accountancy firms to enhance the relationships not only with existing clients, but also to attract new ones.
Why online video needs to be in the mix
The benefit of video is its ‘consumability’. Short form content is most attractive to the time-poor decisions makers and video serves as the most efficient way of consuming information as we process images 60,000 times faster than text. A 2 minute video also has the ability to ‘tell a story’ in a way that 2 minutes of reading can’t, so there’s scope to create an emotional connection to your viewer in less time; it compels them to want to engage in further content or, ideally, get in touch with a that all-important enquiry.
It’s important to recognise that video on a website can lend personality, credibility and authority to a firm’s online presence. It can be used (on YouTube) to drive traffic to a specific landing page. And video in an email should typically boost open rates by 20% and increase click-through rates by 2 – 3 times.
Video doesn’t need to be expensive to produce, but it does need to be consistent with your brand and your other marketing collateral. When it comes to accountancy firms, video can be at its most effective when it clearly communicates through examples, briefings or case studies, a firm’s particular area of special practice or expertise. Whilst you don’t want to give away all of your trade secrets, you do want to whet the appetite of your audience, get them to see you as a valuable resource, and have them coming back for more.
It’s becoming evident that, in the same way that websites came to prominence back in the late 90’s, video is now being regarded as an essential part of the internet experience. And that’s not all. With the proliferation of viewing platforms, especially mobile, and the ever-evolving way in which we all consume content, it’s clear that the demand for video is only going to increase. The audience is there and it will continue to build. As production costs continue to fall (a 90 second clip from a professional local company can cost as little as £500) it’s hard to make a case for excluding video from any serious marketing strategy. So, the cost won’t scare The Living Daylights out of you!
So, there you have it!!
Deane, Prue Deane
